The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-03-26
The County Legislators.
From Page Fire.

reads July 2lst, 1856. On the 20th ga.
az JuIy. 1884, the sum Of $3.50 was pai'
IN the guardianship of James McMichae
at nj. minors. but the date now read
Nov. Eth, 1886.
Fee book (F) page IA, est ,te OF Johr
Guam, deceased, page 33; estate OF JONI
Yokmer, deceased, page 81; estate o
Peter II. Dick, deceased; and Tee oooi
UIl mage 20, estate of Chas Wall ace, de
ceased; page 1913, estate OF William +
Williams, deceased, are referred To a
further examples in the study OF chro
nology.
The effect in this change in dates wa
by dating ahead To postpone the time %
reporting receipts to the county. the OBJ
iect in changing the date back OF the
true one was evidently for the purpose
of making it appear TO the committee u
settle with county officers that the
money had already been reported to IN,
connty. TO illustrate. costs were paid II
.Iune 1851. and entered as Of that date
afterwards by certain minlpulatlonS tht
payment is made to appear as OF Dec.
1885 The effect Of this change Is to
postpone The report OF the money u
July, 1886
Again, fees were paid in Sept, 1885,
the date on the fee book is changed back
u Dec. 1884. The Sept. payment wonld
be or should be reported in Dec, 1880
but by changing the date back 10 Dec,
1884 the committee might conclude that
The money under this last date had been
reported and passed upon in July, 1888.
We have not thought it necessary To
add an extended commentary on the
foregoing statements aud figures, bat
have preferred to leave the facts tn speak
Tor themselves. We do not insist that
al the figures relating to fees received
ard not reported are absolutely free
from error.
Ia fact, the books and ii ,ures were
often in such condition as to make it
impossible to arrive at satisfactory re-
suits.
We think it incumbent on Il To call
attention To the many erasures that
appear on several OF the fee BOOKS, 90
pecially on fee books f, Il and &, and &
and II have not entirely escaped
Il is also necessary to note that fees
aave often been paid and never entered
even on the fee books and so VI course
not On the register, and therefore never
reported % the county. Ii the diff rent
lee books were to be balanced at this
time in thelr present condition AZ to the
feee canned and fees paid many an estate
would be called upon to pay costs a sec
Oni time.
We think the investigation will show
Chat Ire people OF the county are inter
esed to much greater extent than is
sb0wn by the money balapces due the
county.
In orda r to conceal or attempt to CON
Ceal operations some OF the officers have
resorted To mutations of the
books and these mu llationS have not
not only hampered the investigation but
they stand IN the face of that l,g,l
u, axiom which asserts that the record
of court impartS absolute verify.
Perhaps a word in regard to the time
taken in thu investigation may not be
out Of place. In the probate clerks Office
1T soon became apparent that compari-
40 OF the fee books with the register
wauld not answer the purpose which
che iuc7l had in view when the com
mitlee was Instructed to make this in
yestigation. 1t was found necessary to
examine files in connection with the
BOOKS atbONt udIIlti anu bhio Jaw httSp
sariIy extended the time.
IL closing we can each say that the
investigation has not been labor oil
love" G, any one of the committee and
If the books had been kept as the law
requires no investigation would have
been called for. w. Ii. NoRroN.
Chairman.
Then follows exhibit A which show =
in detail the errors and appr0pyia lions
found by the committee and winch in.
caudes the amounts fqu.. Id by Mr. Dryer:
The footing Niov as follows:
Total- $50 -----.----------Sl S9' "a
1Aess aiea"'. II expended -.------ '9"3O
p.lance 81 ,030 81
Your com nitLee To settle with county
officers would respectfully report thai
they proceeded to investigate the Treas
urer's accounts on January ), 81, ana
having spent long months In examin
ing the books and accounts OF ollicors
who had left them in deplorable con
condition on account OF their evident
criminal determination to rob the c0nn
Nv by defacing, eraSlng ana changing
dates in fee books and papers on HE, II
uag with some degree OF pleasure WI
commenced the investigation or this
particular Office, but We had not g0nt
Ear until we discovered that the ac
counts of the Treasurer were IN AS bad
a condition as the others. Our tirs'
wJrk WAS to lind whether or not the
Treasurer had charged himself Win tht
proper amount of taxes each year, and
the result is that the back taxes, idet
70 the TAX levies Of the years 1851, lSS
a.nd 1854 are charged in the Aggregate
Si8z " less than the proper amount
as SHOWN by forfeiture records II
County Clerks olli1e, and also by Ger
tiicates forwarded by County Clerk t
state Auditor showing tax levirs 70
these years, and also shown IN the tol
lowing recapitulati0n:
Shortage IN taxes of 1881 ......S go 7
" 1883 ..... l,Oi2
/" d" 1881 800. l,2S3 8
Total. .....,.............S 3,oZZ U
We also find the Treasurer has beer
taking pay twice each year for printers
fnes on lands and lots forfeited ant
atated, amounting IN the aggregate t
81 ,53l.l0, made up of the following
amounts: The aggregate for 10 YEAR
ending with 1885 was 81 l.l0.-ED.
Ia regard To the above amounts WI
will CAV nv pYDlauatiOn that the Law